Ohio Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Ohio?

Ohio fell three spots – from 29th to 32nd – in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Lack of health insurance – 11th
• Occupational fatalities – 11th
• Preventable hospitalizations – 40th
• Cancer deaths – 40th
• Infant mortality – 41st
• Poor mental health days – 43rd
• Prevalence of smoking – 43rd
• Public health funding – 47th
• Air pollution – 49th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Ohio.

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Does Ohio have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

No, Ohio does not offer a risk pool for its citizen's who are medically-uninsurable.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

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Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Ohio

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Ohio and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Ohio.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

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USNews health insurance rankings for Ohio

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Ohio.

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Official State Goverment Sites with Ohio Health Insurance Information

State of Ohio Department of Insurance Homepage -- The State of Ohio's department of insurance provides official information all types of insurance.

Ohio Shopper's Guide to Health Insurance & HMOs in PDF format -- This guide describes the difference between individual and group coverage, examines Ohio's minimum coverage requirements and explains managed care plans. You will also find information on what to do if you change jobs or have a baby. We have information regarding your rights as a consumer and the responsibilities of insurance carriers conducting business in Ohio. NOTE: When last checked (2/10/08) this guide was being updated and may or may not be available at this link.

Consumer complaint ratio on different health insurance plans -- A PDF document from the State of Ohio showing the ratio of consumer complaints on various health insurance plans, and more. Biggest complaints seem to be for Vantage and Physicians Mutual, neither of which are offered on this site.

Ohio Department of Health main page. Deals with many issues affecting health care delivery in Ohio.

Ohio HIPAA information -- Describes what the State of Ohio is doing to comply with requirements of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Ohio Department of Mental Health -- Each year, Ohio’s community mental health systems provide services to more than 260,000 people, including 75,000 adults who are disabled by severe mental illness and 70,000 children with emotional disorders. More information at the department's Web site.

Federal government sites with specific Ohio health insurance information

National Mental Health Information Centers listing of Ohio Mental Health Resources published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services

Ohio health insurance, health care and consumer advocacy

Health Freedom Coalition of Ohio -- It's "about" page states it is dedicated to passing laws in Ohio that will protect the consumer's right to choose their own healthcare practitioner and practice.